Sakura was not one to go back on her word. She had promised her meddling friend, Sasuke that she would tell her husband the secret she was keeping from him but she would do it when she was ready and not a moment before. Much to his ire, Sasuke had noticed the discomfort both friends were projecting around one another had grown, even if they themselves hadn't. Not only that, the Hokage was having trouble concentrating on his work making things harder on the already overworked head of ANBU. The dark ninja had taken more time to vigorously train his female teammate who was disgruntled about loosing to the fallen Queen of the Petals, even used the time to remind her of what she promised him. Always with a fake smile, she assured him she would. Every time she worked up the courage, uncertainties washed away her resolve.
Like most days, Sakura dropped her daughter off at her mother's with the nanny. She had just enough time to go home for lunch before her afternoon classes started. She was busy preparing food when the man who had been occupying her every waking thought walked into the kitchen.
"What are you making?" he asked, wrapping strong arms around her, placing a gentle kiss on her smooth shoulder.
"Lunch," she answered playfully, popping a piece of food in his mouth.
He hummed in appreciation of the small taste, then moved to the other side of the counter island to give his wife space to work. She smiled sweetly at him but he saw something lurking just beneath the surface. It had been lurking there for a while now, slowly brewing, creating a strange staleness between them. He had felt a distance in her touch, seen the sadness in her eyes, and heard the despair in her voice when he talked about their future. He knew she had been a world traveler, and he remembered his master telling him how the road would call to him. Naruto had always thought it was just the way the old pervert justified leaving when he wore out their welcome with the ladies in a town. He was so deep in his own pondering that it took him a while to notice it in her movements, she was seriously contemplating something, but it wasn't their lunch.
"Sakura, what's going on?" he questioned, he wanted things to go back to the way they were but something told him that was impossible.
A frustrated sigh slipped through her perfect lips. She had agreed with their teammate tell her husband what had been bothering her all this time but now that she was face to face with the prospect of telling him, nervousness gnawed at her insides like a wild dog on a bone.
"We need to talk," she stated, stopping her hands but still focusing on the half chopped vegetables before her.
Naruto had never heard had those words directed at him but he knew from his guy friends that they never lead to anything good. His mind frantically began to cover all the things she could possible say next. He hoped she wanted to say something harmless like she wanted to go back to active duty. His heart sank at the prospect of her wanting to leave the village again, leave him, leave the life they built together. It wasn't easy living with him, he could appreciate what she managed to put up with, the late hours he spent in the office, the emergencies he had to rush off to handle, and his sometimes grouchy moods after dealing with people who tested his patients just like he had the previous two Hokages.
He was nearing his breaking point waiting for her to gather her thoughts and continue, "alright," he encouraged. Instead of her flying off the handle like he expected, sad eyes looked up to meet his gaze. Her heart broke, looking up to see crystal blue eyes filled with concern for her.
"I don't know if," she paused, sucking back her emotions with her breath, trying to remain calm and get the words out. With her mind else where, she didn't notice Naruto's slow decline into panic.
Again his mind began to fill with the endless possibilities of things gone wrong. He clenched a fist and let out the breath he was holding in. With all they had been through he needed to have more confidence in their love. With renewed courage, he moved around the counter back to her side. He pulled her into his arms and waited till she was ready. He wasn't completely confident, the way she shook in his arms, he pulled her chin up with his fingers. He lowered his lips to hers, a tentative kiss placed on her pink flesh. Her reaction encouraged him at first, she was eager, pulling their bodies together to increase their contact. Then she pushed him away a little stronger than needed. His lips were melting her resolve to have this conversation. She needed to say what she had to say then he could touch her, if he still wanted too.
"Sakura," he worried as he pushed some of her hair behind her ear to see her face better.
"I don't know if I can have any more children, I may have messed up my body during the Petal's invation," she stated, straight to the point, just like her husband. Immediately, she felt better and worse all at the same time. Instinctively, her arms hugged to her chest, bracing herself for his reaction.
"Alright," he responded, not sure what else to say, but his body told him to take her into his arms.
"Alright? That's it?" she questioned, her tone angry and bewildered. If she had know he was going to take it that easy she would have told him the day she found out instead of putting it off and torturing herself with the information and self ridicule.
"What did you expect me to do, demand a divorce or throw a tantrum?" he chuckled a bit feeling his wife tense under him with guilt, "besides you said you don't know, meaning there is a chance you can, and if there is a chance then we'll tackle this problem like we do every hurdle we've ever come to," he assured her, stoking her magnificently pink hair.
"How's that?" she asked, still feeling sulky.
"With hard work and lots of practice. We'll keep practicing until we get it right. You know my stamina, I'll practice with you until you can't walk right," he whispered a tease in her ear.
"Naruto," she blushed at her husbands insinuation.
"And if all else fails, we just go steal one of Sasuke's kids, they won't even know one is missing," he laughed at his own joke.
"No one is going to believe one of those raven haired kids is ours," she warned, shaking her head at him.
"No ones going to question the Hokage," he joked, like his word was the only thing that mattered.
"I question his sanity everyday," she grumbled, as he squeezed her tighter.
"I think you're overdue for some practice," he announced as he picked her up and threw her over his large shoulder and headed for the bedroom.
"What about lunch?" she reminded him, reaching for her half prepped meal.
He turned back and clicked the stove off then continued to the seclusion of their bedroom. She wasn't getting out of this, she had been too distant too long, he needed her. She checked the clock, she had time. Safely in their hide-a-way, he laid her on the bed. He took his time undressing her, admiring her newly toned areas since the training with the their fist black haired teammate was working away the stubborn baby fat. He undressed himself just as slowly leaving a naked Sakura to just admire the show. The way his muscles rippled as his shirt came off over his head, to the anticipation of what she knew was hiding behind his slowly unzipping pants. She tried to hurry him, she had to get to class sometime but he refused to be rushed.
A long whine sounded from the woman underneath him, she needed fulfillment as much as he did. He teased around her entrance for a brief agonizing moment, then plunged so deep and fast into her it knocked the wind from her lungs from shock as much as penetration. She gasped in pleasurable pain, raising her hips to swivel them with him rubbing her sensitive inner walls. He growled, deep and earthy, beckoning her to pet him with her moist cavern again. As he took hold of her waist, she pulled herself up to sit on his bent knees, still impaled on him. He pulled his legs out from underneath him and just let her ride him while he found her pleasure button with one hand and one of her nipples with the other. Her eyes closed as she rode him hard, his hands left her for a seconded and she was about to seek them when they abruptly smacked her shapely ass. Leaving two angry red Naruto hand prints, it shocked pleasure through her body, making her slander his name as she came crashing from the heavens. He grabbed her hips, pushing his own forward, helping her ride out the wave of pleasure that had perforated her down to her soul.
Naruto, being slightly devious, did not allow her to be done with him. He switch positions, crushing her beneath him, her sensitive body still high on the rapture he brought her, felt his glistening skin slide passed hers with every pump of his body. She cried out as he struck her favorite spot only he got to touch. He was holding out as long as he could but between her sensual moans bathed in pleasure, and the way her body reacted to his own, he lost his frail hold and spilled his essence into her awaiting womb. They laid there for a bit, basking in the after glow of their practice round, his hand lazily trailing the fine curves of her body.
"Where are you going?" he groaned as she got out of bed, fishing about for her clothes.
"I have to get to work, that mean old Hokage won't let me stay in bed with you all day," she teased, pulling her shirt over her head.
"What a jerk," grinned her husband, still laying on the bed in all his naked glory, "I wanted more practice," he whined, tugging at her toned leg. Sakura rolled her eyes, she already had two children, one she gave birth to, the other she adopted when she married the over grown man child.
"Talk to the Hokage," she stuck her tongue out at him and continued dressing. She went to the bathroom to fix her sex hair and to add a little make up if need be. Her students didn't need to see her so disheveled and know she was late because she was making love to their Hokage. When she returned to the love den, her husband was dressed, looking almost as good as he did naked. He pulled her to him, needing to feel her for a moment.
"No matter what happens, if we have more children, or Takara is the only perfect thing I ever have the pleasure of being apart of, it doesn't matter, as long as its you by my side," he assured her as he stroked her rosy cheek.
"I'm never going to hear the end of that, am I?" she questioned, a little aggravated that he brought up her extended absence from the Leaf.
"You made a huge mistake leaving," his words were harsh but his tone was playful, "and I made an equally massive mistake in not hunting you down the moment I found out you were gone. Now we have the rest of our lives to make up for it," he smiled, leaning down to kiss her pouting lips.
"Promise," she grinned, a wicked gleam in her eye.
"Till the day I die," he breathed as he kissed her, again.
They were far from the perfect couple, they were flawed, battered and bruised but their love for each other was stronger than the imperfections of their lives. It wasn't a consuming love that burned hot and fast only to leave their souls black lumps of nothing, it was an enduring, rejuvenating love that sustained and gave them reasons to live until their hearts stopped beating.
A/N: Thank you all for joining me on this journey, its had its ups and downs, my failures and triumphs as a writer. I may do one more chapter giving you a view of where the children of Team Seven go in my version of the Naruto world. But I make no promises.